Carmen Study Guide - Manitoba Opera

CARMEN LISTENING GUIDE
1. Overture Overture An overture is an orchestral piece which introduces a
larger musical work.
The overture is comprised of three major themes that are used later in the
opera; it begins with the music that is sung by the chorus at the beginning of
Act IV as they excitedly prepare for the bull fight, with an interjection of the
theme from the famous Toreador Song sung by Escamillo in Act II. The
overture finishes [2:12] with a mysterious and unsettling musical theme
which is meant to represent both Carmen as well as the concept of “fate.”
This theme will appear many times during the opera, usually accompanying
important events in the plot.
Enrico Caruso's sketch of himself
as Don José in Carmen, 1904
2. Habañera: “L’amour est un oiseau rebelle” (“Love is a rebellious bird”) A crowd of
men has gathered to watch the cigarette-girls pass by as they leave their factory. The men
have been waiting to see the gypsy woman Carmen, who makes a grand entrance and sings
the Habañera. Don José is the only one who seems uninterested in Carmen; she responds by
throwing him a flower.
The Habañera is perhaps the most recognizable aria (solo) in the opera. It
is heavily influenced by Spanish musical style, both metrically and melodically. The habañera
is a
song style that originated in Cuba and became popular in the 19th century, spreading throughout
Spanish colonies all over the world, including those in Europe. The four-note tango rhythm heard
at the very beginning can be continuously heard throughout the entire duration of the aria. The
cellos play this rhythm over one hundred times!
3. “Les tringles des sistres tintaient” (“The jingles of the sistrums
tinkled”) In a popular tavern, officers and gypsies are entertained by singing and dancing led
by Carmen and her gypsy friends Frasquita and Mercédès.
The music begins very calmly, both in tempo (speed) and dynamics
(volume). After a lengthy orchestral introduction, Carmen sings three
verses (each followed by a refrain in which she is joined by Frasquita and
Mercédès). With each passing verse, the music becomes faster, louder, and more heavily
orchestrated, thus progressively increasing the excitement and rhythmic drive of the piece. The
piece is about gypsy girls being seduced by gypsy boys with music.
4. Toreador Song: “Votre toast... je peux vous le rendre” (“Your toast... I can
return”) The famous toreador (bull fighter) Escamillo has just entered the tavern, surrounded
by an entourage of admirers. He leads the crowd in a lively song depicting the life of a
toreador.
The Toreador Song alternates between two contrasting styles; the verses are sung in a
minor key, which give Escamillo’s words a heightened sense of drama and suspense as
he sings about the heroic activities of the toreador during a bull fight. The refrain (line or lines of
music that are repeated in a song), however, is in a major key. This change of key complements
the Toreador’s words: he switches from singing about bull fights to dreaming of potential love.
Still very dramatic, the music sets a more joyful mood, and as the chorus joins Escamillo later in
the refrain, the excitement of the crowd becomes increasingly apparent.
18